Family is the country of the heart. We spend so much of our lives in exile, but on the holidays we make the pilgrimage home to the nation of our heart where ever that may be ~ Giuseppe Mazzini
Australia is an invigorating country. I feel like I have to go home at least once a year to re-energize and balance out the insanity of living abroad. After 10 years of being away, I don't really miss living in Australia, but I miss moments, feelings, tastes, smells, familiar faces and a common language. To be honest, I don't really feel like I belong to any country any more which is the in inevitable fate of every expat. For me, home is spending time with people I care about, family or old friends. But I often find that I spend so much of my time worrying about having the best time at home that I forget to just relax and enjoy myself.
Is there such a thing as a 'perfect Christmas'? Is there a normal, easy going family out there in the world that genuinely enjoys spending time together as a cohesive unit, building solid, meaningful connections? Family should mean connecting to the people who care about you who make you feeling like you belong to something, a community, or a culture. I make the pilgrimage home to spend quality time with the people who have supported me on this crazy life journey. However, it is rare that I actually have a trouble-free Christmas. Without going into too much detail, my time at home was turbulent which makes it all the more difficult to leave again.
Guilt plays a large role in familial relationships. Whether that emotion is being used in a conscious way or not, family members use guilt to manipulate others. This saddens me, because it is the antithesis of how loved ones should treat each other.
Families should treat each other with more respect than they do their friends. They should take the time to get to know each other, support them when they are down and most of all give each other space to grow and prosper. However, enough ranting from me!
I hope you all had a good time over the holiday period. I fell in love with Australia once again, not only through the eyes of Oprah, but every day I felt blessed to have been born into a good family in a blessed country. Please, if you have the time and money, make the pilgrimage to the great Down Under. My next few posts will hopefully convince you to go visit the place I grew up in! Happy Early Australia Day!
Guilt plays a large role in familial relationships. Whether that emotion is being used in a conscious way or not, family members use guilt to manipulate others. This saddens me, because it is the antithesis of how loved ones should treat each other.
Families should treat each other with more respect than they do their friends. They should take the time to get to know each other, support them when they are down and most of all give each other space to grow and prosper. However, enough ranting from me!
I hope you all had a good time over the holiday period. I fell in love with Australia once again, not only through the eyes of Oprah, but every day I felt blessed to have been born into a good family in a blessed country. Please, if you have the time and money, make the pilgrimage to the great Down Under. My next few posts will hopefully convince you to go visit the place I grew up in! Happy Early Australia Day!
1 comment:
I would LOVE to visit Australia one day! That photo is stunning!!!!
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